Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague Mr. Rokita for yielding time and for handling this on the floor today. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.J. Res. 57. For years, the Federal Government operated under the flawed idea that Washington knows best when it comes to education. Policies put in place in recent decades vastly expanded the Federal footprint in the K-12 schools and prevented State and local education leaders from delivering the high- quality education all children deserve. Something needed to change. Yet, under the Obama administration, the problem only got worse. For years, the last administration used regulations, waivers, and pet projects to unilaterally exert its control over education. Its heavy-handed, one-size-fits-all policies only increased the Federal role in America's classrooms, moving K-12 education in the wrong direction. That is why Republicans and Democrats came together to pass the Every Student Succeeds Act. Enacted just over a year ago, the law was built on three important principles: empowering parents, reducing the Federal role, and restoring local control. It sent a clear message that the American people were done with the top-down approach to education. Unfortunately, the previous administration didn't get the message. The Department of Education continued using rules and regulations to push its failed education agenda--the same agenda Congress rejected with overwhelming bipartisan support.…”